COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina volleyball capped a perfect home opening weekend with a three-set sweep of North Carolina (4-1) on Sunday afternoon, handing the Tar Heels their first loss of the season. The Gamecocks (4-1) run their win streak to four games, led by 12 kills from Riley Whitesides and eight kills on just 11 attacks by Oby Anadi.
1st SET: North Carolina’s blockers gave it a big advantage early in the match, scoring five of its first 12 points off blocks alone. Despite the defensive effort from the visitors, South Carolina did not wilt from the early momentum shift and forged ahead with a game-changing 6-0 run that turned a 14-12 deficit into a 18-14 advantage that it would not give back. Four different Gamecocks came up with kills during that 6-0 run, capped by Whitesides. She would bear the brunt of the early UNC blocking success, but closed strong with three of her four kills coming in the team’s final seven points on the way to a 25-18 victory.
2nd SET: The Tar Heel offense took its turn in set two, enjoying its best set of the day but it would again not be enough to put the Gamecocks away. North Carolina opened the set with a 7-3 lead, but South Carolina would chip away with modest two- and three-point bursts before finally drawing even again at 16. After ties at 19 and 20 points, UNC appeared to find some daylight after scoring on back-to-back plays to make it a 22-20 advantage, but a kill from Anadi and Whitesides would knot the score again.
Back-to-back attacking errors for Noth Carolina gave the Gamecocks a set-point opportunity at 24-23, but the game would extend well beyond 25 points before it was decided. Out of a 26-all tie, the Tar Heels committed a service error and then an unforced attack error sailed out to complete the comeback for the Gamecocks and a crucial 2-0 set lead.
3rd SET: The South Carolina offensive efficiency in the third set put the game away down the stretch, the Gamecocks clinched the sweep with a 25-16 win behind a .600 team hitting percentage and three different attackers posting three or more kills. The set was tighter than the final margin suggested, North Carolina held a lead as late as 12-11 and the two sides were tied at 14 before the Gamecocks made their move. Sophomore Tireh Smith got a kill to make it an 18-16 lead for South Carolina and the Tar Heels would not score again. Junior Alayna Johnson served out an 8-0 run behind the service line, Anadi chipped in two blocks, Whitesides and…